Adhesion molecules, including cell surface and extracellular proteins and their transmembrane receptors, are important mediators of early differentiation. Current studies in the cynomolgus macaque have explored the ontogeny of cranial neural crest cells that originate from the hindbrain as well as the developing optic vesicle to contribute to the craniofacial skeleton. The identification of cranial neural crest cells was facilitated by immunoperoxidase localization of neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) on the periphery of these cells. The integrity of the neural tube and optic vesicle basement membranes (BM) was examined by immunolocalization of collagen type IV and laminin in order to correlate BM discontinuities with areas of active crest cell emigration. Our results indicate that neural crest formation in the hindbrain occurs in a segmental fashion during a narrow developmental window (8 - 21 somites). Thus, the nonhuman primate follows the general mammalian pattern, exhibited by humans and rodents, which is distinct from avian species. The development of neural crest from the optic vesicle, which has been reported in human embryos but not rodent or avian embryos, occurred slightly later in development (16-31 somites). Together these studies provide new information on neural crest formation in the nonhuman primate which is a well-established experimental model for normal and abnormal development, particularly the investigation of malformations that may be attributable to perturbation of this unique transitory cell population. In related studies, the distribution and potential function of several integrin subunits (a1, a5, a6, b1) has also been evaluated during early morphogenesis in the cynomolgus macaque by immunohistochemistry. The results show specific selective patterns of expression for the subunits which are comparable to the localization of their known glycoprotein ligands (laminin, collagen type IV, and fibronectin) and suggest defined roles for individual integrins during heart and somite development in the primate. *KEY* Cell adhesion molecules, Neural crest, Integrins, Immunocytochemistry